Diver Proposes 100 Feet Underwater at Fiji Shipwreck

William Paterson knew he wanted to propose to his girlfriend Kim somewhere special, but 100 feet underwater near a sunken ship might just win the prize for most creative.

The 37-year-old diver from Auckland secretly coordinated with the dive crew before their April 2023 expedition to Fiji's Salamanda shipwreck. He told them his plan and asked for help picking the perfect spot.

Kim, 32, had no idea what was coming. When William insisted they pose for a photo together in front of the wreck, she actually got a little annoyed.

"Good practice in diving is to not touch the substrate, which, as experienced divers, we both know," she explained. She couldn't understand why he was breaking their usual diving rules.

Then William pulled out a ring and dropped to one knee on the ocean floor. Kim looked at him, then the ring, then back at him, trying to process what was happening through her diving mask.

William smiled and nodded to reassure her it was real. She said yes.

The proposal was captured on a GoPro that William had handed to a fellow diver. The underwater footage shows the couple kissing after the big moment, fish swimming peacefully in the background.

Kim was so overwhelmed with excitement that she barely remembered the rest of the dive. "I ended up using a lot more air on that dive with the excitement, and I barely remember the shipwreck, so we will probably have to revisit it one day," she said.

Sunny's Take

This story shows how the best moments in life come when you combine what you love with who you love. William and Kim met in 2021 and bonded over their shared passion for diving.

After surfacing, the entire dive crew and fellow divers celebrated with the newly engaged couple. They returned to their resort for champagne and probably some well-deserved rest.

The couple married in December 2024 and honeymooned in the Maldives, where else but underwater, swimming with whale sharks and manta rays. For these two, the ocean isn't just a hobby, it's where their love story continues to unfold.

The Salamanda shipwreck sits perfectly upright on the sandy ocean floor, creating what divers describe as a dramatic scene that looks like a ship frozen mid-journey.

Love really does run deep for these two adventurers.